Vung Vieng fishing village

Far 24km from the mainland, Vung Vieng fishing village is located in the center of Bai Tu Long Bay to the northeast of Halong Bay tours. This is a peaceful place with the beautiful scenery and features with the traditional culture of fishermen living around the Bay all year round. Coming to Vung Vieng fishing village, you will have a chance to learn how to use fishing net or fishing rod from the local fisherman at this area.

Vung Vieng has attracted lots of travelers for years by its beauties like pretty fishing boats, fish’s cages being in front of floating houses of local people, especially friendly and helpful fishermen, children with happiness on their faces on the way to school,… Everything makes this village become an attractive destination in Halong Bay Heritage.

• V’spirit Cruise – Halong Bay

• 3 best Luxury Cruises on Halong Bay

There are only about 60 floating houses meaning 60 families in this village. You will definitely surprise when seeing these small village with only tens of pretty floating houses in which every activities of the day life or important event of the village happen while bobbing in the middle of the bay. The amazing pictures that your eyes can catch here are simple small floating houses, films on old televisions, a woman cooking the dinner while children playing traditional games in front of the houses and the husband preparing for his fishing trip at night,…These pictures will bring you special memories about people here and the sense of peace in your holiday in Halong Bay.

Almost people here live on fishing and aquaculture but there are several people do small business on their boats by selling miscellaneous goods for other ones and tourists. That’s one of the features in Halong Bay maybe you like because you can by something like snack, water,… from them while cruising on the bay but it’s quite expensive. Recently, when tourism has growth, Vung Vieng became famous place that is included in itineraries of travel companies. In order to explore this place, tourists can hire either kayak to discover bu yourself or small boats rowing by local people. These services are provided by cruise company and local people which brings more revenue for their families.

Story about unique horse-drawn carriage in Bac Ha

Horse in Bac HaA horseman, deeply attached to the northern mountainous Lao Cai province’s Bac Ha Plateau, has expressed his love for the area as he carries tourists in a horse-drawn carriage.
Hoang Van Chu of the Nung ethnic sects, who lives in the province’s Na Hoi Nung Village of Na Hoi Commune, is the first admirer of the ‘White Plateau’ to build a horse carriage and earn his living by transporting tourists in the carriage. North Vietnam tours
“It’s easy for tourists to find a vehicle to travel everywhere on the Plateau, as there are modern vehicles in the area, including motorbikes and minibuses. However, anyone who is well-experienced in travelling will choose the horse carriage,” Chu said.
A carriage ride with a view of the imposing mountain landscape gives tourists the impression of being on vacation and makes them feel a bit like “royalty”. Hanoi & Sapa Homestay 6 days

Travelling the Bac Ha Plateau, tourists will be impressed with the colourful ethnic costumes, the horses’ neighs, and the screams of mountain pigs intermingled with the sounds of hammers on the fires of blacksmiths. In particular, tourists will have the opportunity to enjoy Tam Hoa plums, a tasty specialty of the area.
“Many tourists visiting the plateau shared with me that travelling by horse carriage helped them leisurely enjoy the area’s landscape and take souvenir photos,” Chu said.
He is skillful at shooting and horse straddling and a famed horseman in the area, having learnt how to ride a horse and fire a gun in early childhood.
Horse in Bac Ha 1“My parents told me there were many horse carriages in my hometown during the years of French colonialism, from 1857 to 1945. At that time, the horse carriage was one of the specific features of Bac Ha Plateau. Local residents mostly used horses for transport. Only the rich could ride in carriages,” Chu said.

Story about unique horse-drawn carriage in Bac Ha

However, such kinds of vehicles gradually fell into oblivion, and were changed over to modern vehicles. “There were no horse carriages on any roads in the area since the 1990s,” Chu said.
The sound ‘click clock click clock’ of horses’ hooves and the tinkling of the tintinnabula bells on their necks gradually faded in local residents’ memories, which saddened the horseman Chu.
After much searching of his heart, Chu decided to go to China and order a horse-drawn carriage from a Chinese worker, with the aim of bringing back a specific tradition of the plateau. “The Chinese man delivered a horse carriage on time. Yet, the carriage he made couldn’t satisfy me because it was not convenient for carrying tourists,” Chu said. Travel to Vietnam
Not giving up, Chu was determined to make a horse carriage on his own. The vehicle was completed and used as to serve tourists in the area, which surprised all local residents.
“Some of my neighbours sneered at me, and called me a ‘madman’. They thought that there would be no tourist to use a horse carriage on their trips. Yet, I ignored all the ridicule and continued making shoes and tintinnabula for my horse,” Chu said.
Horse in Bac Ha 2
At first, Chu carried tourists free of charge along the most beautiful destinations in the area, such as Hoang A Tuong edifice, Trung Do Temple and on misty paths, in a bid to build reputation for his service, as well as advertise the beauty of his hometown.
“Foreign visitors often called me a ‘cowboy’. Some of them told me that during their trips in Bac Ha Plateau, they loved most of all the sound of horses’ hooves on road and the tinkling bells on the horses’ neck, which made me so happy,” Chu said.
Chu is the only one in the area who provides tourists with horse-drawn carriage rides. “I had to spend all my savings, worth VND60 million (US$2,800), to make my carriage. No one in the area dared to spend the sum as I did,” Chu said.
Besides Chu’s horse providing rides for tourists, there are many horses in the area to carry goods. Riders of baggage horses often gather in front of Bac Ha Temple ready for hire to carry goods, which is one of the area’s oldest jobs.

Ben Tre travel guide

Ben Tre is a little province in the east of Mekong Delta, being wedged between two main arms of Tien River. Ben Tre shares borders with Tien Giang, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long. It has one township also called Ben Tre and 7 other small districts, including Ba Tri, Binh Dai, Chau Thanh, Cho Lach, Giong Trom, Mo Cay and Thanh Phu. The province also accounts for the greatest part of Khmer ethnic population of the region. Read more: Mekong river cruise
Ben Tre is known as the land of coconut and also the cradle of “Dong Khoi” (“simultaneous insurgency”). Recording some of the fiercest stages of the American-Vietnam War, Ben Tre is heard by most students of the two countries’ history.
The sleepy and laid back Ben Tre is usually bypassed by most visitors coming to the delta. Considering its unparalleled beauty and historical significance, however, this picturesque area is definitely well worth a visit.

• Mango 2 days Ben Tre – Cai Be – Sa Dec
• Mango 2 Days Can Tho – Vung Liem – Ben Tre
• Mango 2 days My Tho – Mo Cay – Cai Be

Sights & Attractions

Phoenix Island
A visit to Bentre should include a boat trip to its several secluded islands. The first to be mentioned is the beautifully named Phoenix Islands (Con Phung). The island covers an area of 28 ha, emerging amidst the Tien River. Con Phung draws tourist attention mainly due to a coconut candy home factory located here. It is interesting to watch the entire manual making process of these Vietnamese fragrant sweets and taste some. The island is also famous with its coconut handicraft village.
The next stop is Dragon Island where you may fill your stomach with luscious tropical fruit and enjoy a yummy lunch with local specialties, typically included elephant ear fish, crispy southern spring rolls, sweet- sour soup and rice or noodles. On Unicorn Island, you may relax with honey tea and enjoy a local music performance of “Don ca tai tu”, a form of folklore opera in southern Vietnam.

Ben Tre travel guide

Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary
Vam Ho is a natural reverse area in Ba Tri District, around 57km from Ben Tre Township, accessible by road and boat. The sanctuary is home to thousands of stocks, cranes, herons and many other rare bird species. A network of arroyos was dug to water and protect the area from risks of fire.
The reserve also boasts rich flora (mainly mangroves) and fauna (bats, snakes, pythons, etc). It is best visited from 4 to 5pm everyday as the birds coming back to their nests after a day searching around for food. It may get very noisy with their flap of wings and their loud voices, but definitely a scene you may see once in a lifetime.

The historical relics & memorials
Ben Tre is homeland of the greatest female figure in Vietnam modern history, Madam Nguyen Thi Dinh. Her temple and memorial complex can be found in Phong Dien Hamlet, Luong Hoa Commune, Giong Trom District.
General Nguyen Thi Dinh was the soul of Dong Khoi revolutionary, first broke out in Mo Cay District of Ben Tre (1959), then spread out to the all other provinces of Mekong Delta. She was also the founder and leader of the renowned Vietnamese “long hair army” or “female guerilla troops”. You may also visit the Dong Khoi traditional house in Mo Cay District and relics of the Ho Chi Minh Trail on sea in Thanh Phu District.

Food & Drink
Numerous fruit orchards can be found in Cai Mon-Cho Lach, Tien Long and Chau Thanh districts: mango, longan, papaya, durian, jackfruit, rambutan, you name it. Interestingly, it is often sold to tourists not in kg but “belly sold” that means you pay a certain amount then pick up and eat to your full. The orchard owners may also offer you a delicious lunch of chicken specially raised by letting walk freely in the large orchards and find food themselves. Mussel rice is also a popular delicacy here.
Ben Tre is especially famous for coconut cake that is made from sticky rice mixed with black bean and rolled in strips of nipa young leaf. Making this cake is a time consuming and painstaking job. Rice is carefully chosen and soaked for several hours. Locals have to get up early to wash rice, extract young coconut milk and prepare wrappings. Cakes are fasten in clusters of a dozen and boiled for hours. The secret of making coconut cake is kept strictly and passed from generation to generation of the families.
A very popular drink not only in Ben Tre but around Mekong Delta in general is snake wine. It is supposed to be good for men and only men are allowed to taste them. Other widely available drinks are coconut alcohol and honey tea. Strolling around the bee farming villages in Mo Cay, Chau Thanh, Cho Lach and Giong Trom districts, you will be invited by vendors to visits their homes and taste some.

Getting there & away

There are two main ways to get to Ben Tre by road. From Ho Chi Minh City, you may follow the National Highway 1A to Trung Luong junction in My Tho- Tien GIang, turn right into National Highway 60 to Rach Mieu Ferry. Total distance is 86km and the ferry crossing takes around 22 minutes, ferry run 24 hours.
The second way is to travel from Can Tho to Vinh Long on National Highway 57. After crossing Dinh Khao Ferry to land on Cho Lach District, then continue to Ben Tre Township. Total distance is 50.7km.
Ben Tre can also be visited by boat down the Tien River.